Folding flue-stop.



UNITED s'rAras PATENT OFFICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 1, 1906.

Application iled September 1l. 1905. Serial No. 277.952.

To all whom it may concer-7c:

Be it known that I,JOHN C. CARR, a citizen of thevUnited States, residing at Burlington, in the county of Carroll and Stateof Indiana, have invented a new and useful Folding Flue- Stop, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in flue-stops. y

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of flue-stops and to A provide a simple and comparatively inexpensive device of great strength and durability designed for c osing stovepipe-openings in chimneys and iiues and adapted to be compactly folded when not in use and capable when applied to an opening of remaining in proper position tight against the wall.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of this character designed for use in overhead {lue-openings, as well as in the flue-openings of walls, and adapted to push the soot back into a flue-hole and prevent the same from falling from a flue-opening upon a floor, carpet, or other surface and also from soiling or igniting the wall-paper around the flue-opening.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claim hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details of construction within the scope of the claims may be resorted to without departingl from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a foldable liuc-stop constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional view showing the Hue-stop applied to a flue-opening. Fig. 3 is an elevation showing the parts folded. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the outer plate or cap. Fig. 5 is a similar view of the inner disk or plate.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the draw- 1n s.

gIl designates an inner disk or plate designed to be arranged within and conform closely to the configuration of a chimney-opening 2 and adapted when introduced into the same to push the soot inward or backward from the mouth or entrance of the opening and prevent the soot from falling from the opening upon the iioor, carpet, or other surface. The inner plate or disk, which is connected by means hereinafter described with an outer plate or cap 3, is also adapted to prevent the soot from coming in contact with the outer plate or with the wall-paper surrounding the flue-opening 2, By this arrangement the wall-paper is prevented from becoming soiled or ignited and the outer plate, which in practice will be ornamented, is prevented from being scorched. I prefer to construct the inner disk of any fireproof material or combination of materials.

Theouter plate or cap 3 covers the mouth or entrance of the flue-opening 2 and is provided with alined bearings consisting of ears 4, formed integral with the outer plate` or cap. The ears 4, which are stamped out of the cap or plate, receive a pintle-rod 5,-which is provided at its ends with arms 6, and the latter, which may be either straightor curved, have inwardly-extending,terminal pivots 7. The terminal pivots 7 are arranged in bearllng-eyes 8 of the inner disk or plate and are retained in the said eyes by bending the terminals 9 of the wire or other material of which the pintle 5 and the arms 6 are constructed. By this construction the inner and outer plates are connected by arms which are hinged to the said plates and which permit the same to fold, as illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The arms are also adapted to space the inner and outer plates from each other, as illustrated in Figs. l and 2 of the drawings. These arms may be of any desired length, the partsV being exaggerated in the accompanying drawings to illustrate the construction more clearly. In practice arms of about two inches or two andA one-half inches in length may be advantageously employed in a Hue-stop of the size to iit an ordinary chimney-opening.

The bearing-eyes 8 are stamped from the inner disk or plate, which is also provided with bearing eyes or ears l0, which are alined and which receive a pintle-rod 1l, arranged at right angles to the pintle-rod 5 of the outer disk or plate and provided with terminal arms 12. The arms l2, which are straight, are adapted to engage the inner face of the outer cap or plate, and they lock the parts in Ithe position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and pre vent the same `from collapsing. The arms 12 and the pintle ll form a locking device for IOO IIO

maintaining the inner plate and the outer cap or plate in their spaced relation, and as the said arms l2 are connected by an integral pintle they move in unison and assist each otherin maintaining the locking device in engagement with the inner` plate. When the arms 6 are sli htly bowed, they are adapted to be slightly exed back toward the straight line by the arms 12 when the latter are forced into operative position, whereby the resiliency of the arms 6 will assist in firmly holding the parts in operative position. The arms 12 are adapted to be folded against the inner disk or plate, as illustrated in Fig. 5 of the drawings, to permit the arms 6 to swing for folding the inner and outer plates. By arranging the pintle-rods on the inner and outer plates at right angles to each other and by arranging the arms of the pintle-rod as shown the device is firmly retained in operative position and when placed in a flue-opening will remain therein with the outer or cap plate ti ht against the Wall. There is no liability of the flue-stop accidentally sagging or springing from position, and it effectually closes the flue-opening and prevents the escape of soot. Also the pintle-rods are adapted to stiffen and support each of the inner and outer plates, and the durability of the device is materially increased by the said rods.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isd

A device of the class described, comprisingan inner plate designed to be arranged within a chimney or flue opening, an outer or cap plate for covering the said opening, a pintlerod carried by the outer or cap plate and having arms, said arms being provided with terminal pivots connected with the inner plate, and a second pintle-rod mounted on the inner plate and arranged at an angleto the pintle-rod of the outer or cap plate and provided with integral terminal arms engaging the outer or cap plate, the latter pintle and the arms thereof constituting a locking device for holding the inner late and the outer or cap plate in spaced re ation, and the arms of such locking device being movable in unison.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my Own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN c cARR.

Witnesses:

H. C. CAREY, S. D. LOWE. 

